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October 2019 Paramount Chamber of Commerce (paramountchamber.com) Serving the community since 1947
Día de los Muertos Community Dining Festival scheduled October 19 Discounts! Check out the deals in LOCAL DINING on page 7.
These lovely young ladies helped make last year’s Día de los Muertos Community Festival a great success, and dedicated volunteers from Paramount-Tepic Sister Cities have been working hard to make this year’s festival even better.
Annual Chamber Poker Tournament draws large crowd
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aramount-Tepic Sister Cities will present its annual Día de los Muertos Community Festival on Saturday, October 19, from 3 to 7 p.m. at Paramount Park, 14400 Paramount Blvd., Paramount, CA 90723. This popular free event honoring ancestors and family ties will feature a wide variety of family activities, including: • Mercaditos (markets and vendors) • Deliciosa comida cultural (delicious cultural foods) • Altars and ofrendas (altars and offerings) • Danza Azteca (Aztec dance) • Ballet folklóricos (traditional folkloric dancing) • Música maravillosa (marvelous music) • Artes y manualidades (arts and crafts) • Hermosos disfraces y pintacaritas (beautiful costumes and face-painting) • Procesión a la luz de las velas hacia los altares dirigidos por La Catrina (candlelight procession to altars led by La Catrina herself) Frank Barraza, President of Paramount-Tepic Sister Cities, encouraged residents to honor their deceased loved ones by displaying an altar for free at the festival. “Share their lives and how they made Paramount a better place as together we
embrace the past, present and future of Paramount families as one,” he said, welcoming everyone to attend the festival. To learn more about displaying an altar and participating in the festival, call Frank at 562-884-8377 or Marcie Garcia-Bridges, Festival Committee Chairperson, at 562-279-6360. Frank made a point of thanking Marcie for her dedication and hard work. “In the past two years, she has made Day of the Dead in Paramount more family-oriented and filled with community spirit,” he said. Paramount-Tepic Sister Cities sponsors programs offering good will from the people of Paramount to the people of Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico, including raising funds to purchase toys for an orphanage and household supplies for the elderly, as well as welcoming delegations of Tepic citizens on visits to Paramount. Locally, the organization offers five annual scholarships to PUSD students, sponsors the popular Children’s Day celebration every spring, provides food baskets to families in need during the holidays and engages in other community-building activities. The group meets every third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at Paramount Park Community Center. Volunteers are always welcome. To learn more, please visit Paramount-Tepic Sister Cities on Facebook. (Also see the related story on page 8.)
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aramount residents and employees of local businesses competed for excellent prizes in the sixth annual Paramount Chamber of Commerce Poker Tournament held September 27 at the Progress Park Plaza. We had 75 players and 85 attendees. Competitors played Texas Hold ’Em poker at tables of seven and, by process of elimination, advanced to a semifinal table of nine and a final table of three. First-place winner Frank Garcia took home a $1,000 American Express gift card donated by MPG Pizza Group. Second place went to Bob Reiss, who won Smart Home Cameras donated by T-Mobile Paramount. Third-place winner Jim Bringhust won a 65-inch smart TV donated by Transcom Telecommunications. SC Fuels was again the presenting sponsor for the tournament. These local restaurants donated food and beverages: Café Corleone, Casa Gamino Mexican Restaurant, Delfin Seafood Market & Restaurant, Domino’s, El Compa, Mariscos Mi Lindo and The Pizza Press. Central Basin Municipal Water District provided bottled water. A portion of tournament proceeds this year went to support Pathways Volunteer Hospice. Tina Hernadez of Pathways received the check and helped out as a volunteer at the tournament. Thank you to these businesses for donating raffle prizes: Farmers Insurance –Kotob Agency, Grocery Outlet, TotalWestern, Transcom Telecommunications, Panaderia Texcoco, Game Changer, Frank J. Zamboni & Company, World Energy Paramount, CFR Rinkens, Marukan USA, California Testing & Inspections, M.G. Brassard, SpiritualQuest, Vicky’s Professional Services, Dr. Max Martinez, RE/MAX–Franco Family, and Farmers Insurance–Kurt Wolff Agency. (Please see tournament photos on page 14.)
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From the Mayor’s Desk.................................................................3
Day of the Dead & Halloween Differences......................8
Public Safety.......................................................................................4
Ribbon-cutting Ceremonies................................................10
Paramount Chamber of Commerce PEP Talk...............................................................................................4 15357 Paramount Boulevard City Council News...........................................................................5 Community Health Fair.................................................................5 Paramount, California 90723 Chamber 2 Chamber Networking Breakfast........................6 Telephone: 562-634-3980 Membership Renewals & Calendar of Events.....................6 paramountchamber.com Local Dining Discount Coupons................................................7
Business Corner.......................................................................12 Business Card Directory........................................................13 Annual Poker Tournament Photos..................................14 Employment Opportunities ...............................................14 CityScape: Halloween Events.............................................15 Welcome Our Newest Leaders Luncheon....................16